On Saturday, the Warsaw edition of the “Opłatek Maltański” (Maltese Wafer) took place at the seat of the Foundation of St. John of Jerusalem. This annual event is part of a nationwide project launched by members of the Polish Association of the Order of Malta in 2002 to share the dream of Christmas with thousands of disadvantaged adults and children.

This year’s event, which was placed under the honorary patronage of the Embassy of the Sovereign Order of Malta in Poland, takes place on different dates across 28 Polish cities and towns, four municipalities in Ukraine, as well as London and Coventry, and is expected to reach nearly 4,000 guests.

Hundreds of volunteers are involved for months in the organisation of the so called “Opłatki”. In the true spirit of Christmas, they give their time and energy to ensure that the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters – the sick, the homeless, the elderly, the lonely, the disabled, the marginalised and entire families struggling to make ends meet – become stars in their own right for one special day.

From its humble beginnings, the extraordinary growth of the “Opłatek Maltański” project shows how necessary it is to share what we have with others, particularly in the difficult and uncertain times we live in.